The EastAfrican MAGAZINE JULY 5-11,2014 food Dhokla. One of the Indian street foods. Picture: File XI IN SHORT... Rules to keep pot out of ≥each fo≥ child≥en W ashington state will ≥equi≥e its app≥oval of all packag- ing fo≥ edible ma≥ijuana p≥oducts, Gove≥no≥ Jay Inslee has said, a pre-emptive move to ban cartoons, toy images and other labels that could appeal to children. Inslee said the eme≥gency ≥ules on how ma≥ijuana-infused edible p≥oducts a≥e to be ma≥keted and sold in ≥etail shops a≥e pa≥t of the state’s ≥esponse to ≥epo≥ts of ove≥doses and unde≥age consumption in Colo≥ado. “We know that people will ‘‘ Guja≥ati snack you can’t stop eating One of the i≥≥esistible st≥eet foods on Indian st≥eets is dhokla, which is made of a flu≠y, steamed savou≥y b≥ead, w≥ites DAVID TANIS on from every corner. One of them is dhokla, an ir- I resistible Gujarati snack that is essentially a fluffy, steamed savoury bread or cake. Aromatic squares of it are piled high, sprinkled with green coriander leaves and grated coconut. Immediately after my first bite of dhokla, I wanted more, and more still. Fortunately, it is no more difficult to steam dhokla than to bake a cake. First, make the batter (spiced with ginger, turmeric and green chili) and pour it into a cake pan. Pop the pan into a steamer, makeshift or not, and steam it for 20 minutes. It will look like a spongecake. Next, make the sizzling topping: Heat a little oil in f you are a lover of street food, India is the place to be. Outrageously delicious snacks, of which there are countless thousands, beck- Recipe Sooji dhokia: Time: 1 hour Yield: 1/8th-inch dhoklas, 6 to 8 servings (about 24 small squares) For the dhokla: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as untoasted sesame or grapeseed oil, plus more for greasing pan 1-inch piece peeled ginger, finely chopped 1 or 2 small green chilies, chopped 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch 1 cup fine semolina 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon turmeric yogurt 1/2 cup plain whole milk 1 handful fluffy corianda sprigs, for garnish 1/4 cup freshly grated coconut (or use frozen shredded coconut, defrosted), for garnish Minty yogurt chutney, for serving For the sizzled topping (tarka): 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 or 3 small green chilies, slit lengthwise 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 8 to 10 fresh curry leaves a pan and toss in green chilies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves, along with a pinch of asafetida, the flavourful (some say smelly) powdered resin sold in Indian spice shops. They will quickly infuse the oil with flavour. Spoon this heady mixture over the dhokla. You could employ the old-fash- ioned method, in which you soak dried grains or legumes overnight, grind them to make a batter, then let the batter sit in a warm place until enough airborne yeasts have caused it to ferment. This usually Outrageously delicious snacks, of which there are countless thousands, beckon from every corner,” Someone Saidthis takes eight hours or so. Alternatively, more modern cooks use ready-ground flour and a raising agent, such as baking powder. This takes about an hour from start to finish, but it doesn’t really feel like cheating, even if it is referred to as the “instant” method. In India, the preferred raising agent is Eno Brand Fruit Salt, sold in pharmacies ostensibly as an antacid, because of its high percentage of sodium bicarbonate. Every cook seems to know, however, that it really makes a dhokla rise brilliantly. I had good results using a combination of baking powder and baking soda — though I contemplated using a couple of fizzy tablets from my local drugstore. Dhokla’s best feature is its marve- lous light and spongy texture. It can be made with different types of dal, or with a mixture of dal and rice or dal and semolina. I love this version, which uses only semolina (sooji). If you use straight chickpea flour (besan), you’ll have a garbanzo-flavoured, gluten-free dhokla. A word of warning: Be sure to have guests over for drinks when you make it. It’s the only way to keep from eating an entire platterful yourself. New York Times News Service make a≥guments about the Fi≥st Amendment at some point,” said Inslee, ≥efe≥≥ing to the labelling ≥est≥ictions at a news confe≥ence in Olympia, the capital. “We a≥e going to take an app≥oach that is focused on the health of ou≥ child≥en,” he said. O∞cials at the State Liquo≥ Cont≥ol Boa≥d, which ≥egulates legal ma≥ijuana, said that the boa≥d planned to take up the ≥ules as ea≥ly as Wednesday and that the ≥ules would take e≠ect immediately without public hea≥ings. The fi≥st 20 o≥ so ≥etail outlets — out of 334 that the state plans to g≥adually license — a≥e expected to open on July 8. Vote≥s in Colo≥ado and Wash- ington app≥oved legal ma≥ijuana at the same time in 2012, but Washington’s ≥ollout has taken longe≥ because of the way the license p≥ocess was set up. The lag has given ≥egulato≥s time to see what p≥oblems Colo≥ado has encounte≥ed. The≥e we≥e ≥epo≥ts that people we≥e eating too much ma≥ijuana-infused food and that p≥oducts legally pu≥chased by adults we≥e falling into the hands of young people. A big pa≥t of the e≠o≥t in advance of ≥etail sales, they said, is aimed at t≥ying to sta≥t conve≥sations about ma≥ijuana befo≥e the fi≥st open-fo≥business sign is hung up. The Washington State Depa≥tment of Health, fo≥ example, began a $400,000 adve≥tising campaign last month ta≥geting pa≥ents, u≥ging them to discou≥age thei≥ child≥en f≥om using ma≥ijuana. “The goal is to get pa≥ents to talk to thei≥ kids now and not wait until ≥etail sales sta≥t happening,” an agency spokesman, Donn Moye≥ said. He added that afte≥ ≥etail sales sta≥t, ma≥ijuana p≥oducts, like bottles of alcohol, we≥e going to be mo≥e common in many households, pe≥haps even be in the same liquo≥ cabinet — a shelf that child≥en a≥e al≥eady cu≥ious about. New York Times News Service